500.A15A4 General Committee/315: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation ( Davis ) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 28—9:20 p.m.]
618. Department’s 321, April 25, 6 p.m. I fear that my 163 and 16461a did not convey clearly what was in my mind regarding regional treatment. I fully agree we should press for a universal disarmament treaty. Indeed my suggestions for regional treatment were prompted by a desire to secure such a treaty but I felt that within the general framework of a universal treaty there should be different treatment [Page 119] applied to Europe and to the rest of the world, especially in regard to land and air armament. There would, of course, be provisions for the limitation of arms applying to the rest of the world as well as to continental Europe, all of these provisions to be incorporated in a single general disarmament treaty. The French themselves introduced the idea of regional treatment for land armament in their plan and believe such treatment would bring about more quickly and more efficaciously a general disarmament agreement. I appreciate, nevertheless, your apprehension lest our intention of the idea concerning the armament section of the treaty should be misconstrued. I am inclined to think that the treaty will eventually work itself out in that form.